Former leaders accept Chee’s S$30,000 offer to annul bankruptcy

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan said today that former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong have accepted his offer of composition of S$30,000 to annul his bankruptcy.

Dr Chee was declared a bankrupt in 2006 after failing to pay damages totalling S$500,000 to Mr Lee and Mr Goh, following a defamation suit brought on by the two because of remarks Dr Chee had made during the 2001 General Election.

Dr Chee said he hopes the settlement would “mark the end of a chapter of Singapore’s politics marred by defamation suits against opposition members” and looks forward to a “new era where political discourse is dominated by substantive debates on policies and ideas”.

He added that he looks forward to being formally cleared of his bankruptcy so that he would be eligible to stand in the 2016 general election. As an undischarged bankrupt, Dr Chee has not been eligible to stand in the general elections.